Free speech has been a major focus for societal progress over the past few centuries, but the invention of the internet raised some interesting questions about the topic. Some believe that speech should be completely unrestricted and free of censorship, whereas others believe the exact opposite. A recent poll from YouGov might shed some light on how Americans feel about the internet and its impact on free speech, which is interesting given the potential acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk who is a strong proponent of free speech.
Unsurprisingly, this survey revealed a massive partisan divide among Americans. For example, around 72% of Republicans believe that speech on the internet should not face any form of censorship, but with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that only 34% of Democrats believe the same. The implications of free speech are also undecided, with many more Democrats (75%) saying that social media platforms are not obligated to promote every single viewpoint on the basis of free speech and only half of Republicans saying the same.
In spite of the fact that this is the case, if one takes the partisanship out of the equation, a bit of a consensus starts to form. Just under half of all Americans participating in this survey, or 49% to be precise, agreed that the internet should be a place where no restrictions on free speech are put in place. Only 26% disagreed with that, with the remaining 24% being undecided.
However, it might be important to take this data with a grain of salt. The survey involved yes or no answers to ten questions which can strip a lot of nuance from the things that people are trying to say. Also, the sample size of one thousand people might not be large enough to make this indicative of the sentiments of the wider populace. Still, there seems to be an increased desire for complete freedom of speech on the internet at least among Americans who usually think it to be sacrosanct.
Read next: The How-To Guide On Identifying And Dispelling Online Disinformation
Unsurprisingly, this survey revealed a massive partisan divide among Americans. For example, around 72% of Republicans believe that speech on the internet should not face any form of censorship, but with all of that having been said and now out of the way it is important to note that only 34% of Democrats believe the same. The implications of free speech are also undecided, with many more Democrats (75%) saying that social media platforms are not obligated to promote every single viewpoint on the basis of free speech and only half of Republicans saying the same.
In spite of the fact that this is the case, if one takes the partisanship out of the equation, a bit of a consensus starts to form. Just under half of all Americans participating in this survey, or 49% to be precise, agreed that the internet should be a place where no restrictions on free speech are put in place. Only 26% disagreed with that, with the remaining 24% being undecided.
However, it might be important to take this data with a grain of salt. The survey involved yes or no answers to ten questions which can strip a lot of nuance from the things that people are trying to say. Also, the sample size of one thousand people might not be large enough to make this indicative of the sentiments of the wider populace. Still, there seems to be an increased desire for complete freedom of speech on the internet at least among Americans who usually think it to be sacrosanct.
Read next: The How-To Guide On Identifying And Dispelling Online Disinformation
